WWW #27: The Agenda

This is the sound of Worlds Beyond Number.

Expressionless white mask, a crown

of midnight black needle-sharp spines emerging like a crown from her head.

The witch of the waning moon, Marara, sits in her throne in the chamber of the coven of elders.

A crow

stands on her shoulder, preening itself as she has called the coven to attention.

Indri looks to you, Aame, and says,

My dear, are you feeling calm and ready?

Uh, uh, a moment, if you will.

And I turn over to

my friends.

Suvi is fully

convinced that her heart might simply stop from how fast it is beating.

Uh,

and I think the expression you get back is that full open-eyed, like, the fuck do you think I can offer in this moment?

Oh my god.

I think Ursulan is desperately looking at you because it means he doesn't have to look at anything else in the room and how it might be looking at him.

It's like I'm giving you my attention, but it's because I don't want to give it, I don't want to put it anywhere else.

My mind is not with you, but

I am looking at you.

Okay.

I

hold their hands

and

breathe with me.

Okay, ready?

Count a four count in

One, two,

three,

four.

Hold it for four.

One, two,

three,

four.

Out.

One, two,

three,

four.

And we repeat this three times.

And in that, I use calm emotions.

Oh, beautiful.

And calm, what are the effects of calm emotions?

Well, we can choose to

fail.

And on a failure, you can suppress the effects of charm or frighten.

It does say when spell ends, effect resumes.

Unless it has expired.

Okay, copy that.

For a moment, Abi leads you through the breathing that means the smittenness with the witch of the wind and stars and the blinding terror of the witch of the Wild Hunt, you do recover your

senses.

It's not a sharp return to control, it's like a calming thing, but you feel yourself no longer gripped by panic nor

addled by desire in this moment.

Okay,

we're gonna be all right.

This is my family.

Yeah,

You watch and see that Gromoir is slowly leading Hakea

into the council chamber.

As she does so, you see that the sort of plant life in the room follows, sort of rolling itself up like a carpet behind Hakeea as she moves.

And Indri is speaking to Costa and Ara very quickly as she sort of helps people, you know, the huge horde of animals and other beings that are here now in the space.

And watch as Hakea is now being seated in her throne with a hand from Grimor.

Does it look like I have time to give a quick rundown of the witches to

my friends?

Yes, you do have a moment.

All right.

So the one up there in the don't, I, it's okay.

It's okay.

Just keep breathing, Suvi.

The one, the witch up there with Crow, Marara, witch of the waning moon, she represents nothing and entropy and darkness.

Hakeea of the Woodland Green.

Growth, creation, creating something from that nothing.

Grimoire is the witch of the wild hunt.

She represents conflict and destruction and death, but not in a sort of just nothing way.

Injury is wind and stars.

She's fine.

And

she represents the self and solitude and

being

on your own.

I am witch of the world's heart and my job is

bringing together the things that the world wishes to see separate.

And now I'm gonna go do that.

Thank you both so much for being here with me.

Really quickly, can I do an insight check on you?

Yes.

Please, guys.

Please, please.

No,

nine.

Ten.

All I'm looking for is

just a little bit of a sense of like, what are you,

if there's any way to kind of check out what you are most worried about in walking and entering into conversation with them.

I am not so much worried about the witches themselves.

I do not fear them or their power.

I've never have.

I am not even scared of the prophecy.

I just really want

to make Grandmother Wren proud.

I think I can see a little bit that parallel of like struggling with legacy,

a look and a vibe that Suvi understands

very well.

And since I understand that I'm not going to be able to be in the room with you to lend my intellect, the thing that I am valuable for to you, I will do my best to send it along with you.

And I'm going to cast enhance ability on you

and give you Fox's cunning, which will be advantage on intelligence checks for the next hour.

I'll remind you too, Ahm, you are currently addled by the sweet blossom smell in the room in this moment and have your first level of exhaustion, which gives you a disadvantage on skill checks while you are in the presence of the witch of the woodland green.

But the enhanced ability is still fucking hell, it's canceling at disadvantage.

Sort of returning the like physical gesture, like Suvi grabbing, or Ame grabbing Suvi's hand.

And then as you were giving the rundown, you like released and are explaining and gesticulating as

you do

when you talk.

Suvi will just like find a point to touch your shoulder.

And I think there is warmth in the casting that feels not like the warmth, the warmth of a hearth, but that like Irulean sand.

And now you know what it feels like.

That like dry sun that asks something and just so codifies in Suvi's mind is it's inextricably linked with what wizards are.

And then what wizards are is like their intellect, their intelligence.

And she sends that.

And I think there's just maybe a little bit of like the sensory thing that she passes on isn't just

wind and sand and heat and the desert, but like small foxes' paws running quickly across a dune.

I square my shoulders

and

I open my arms for the fox.

Fox leaps into your arms.

And we walk up

into the room with the conclave.

You walk into the room.

The doors close behind you.

Out in the great hall, what do Ursulan and Subi do in the moment that Ame walks away?

Do we just have to hang out with

the other retinues?

Yeah.

You know, I was actually going to...

One of them was making eyes at me.

Like we could...

We would...

We would fight.

Oh.

I'm going to head that off at the pass, actually.

I'm going to go chat with him.

To do it or to not do it?

I mean,

I think the reason we're squaring up is because we're not communicating.

So I'm gonna go have a word with him to suggest

we're all here to support the other

witches, you know?

If we know that they are here to destroy

Ame and her station, that's probably us along with it.

So do you think they're gonna be cool?

Well, it's in my head, they're going to be cool now.

Okay.

Maybe we...

You mean, it's like when we were at the Citadel.

Gossip, you know?

Oh, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah, this is just like that.

This is just...

You know,

we're going to go see if there's scuttlebutt.

Yeah, go get that hot goss.

Yes.

Oh, my God.

I'll report back.

Good luck.

I'm going to go.

I'd like to approach the.

Was it a...

It's a man who turned into a wolf?

Yes.

Who then made eyes with me?

So you walk over and you see that the wolf spirit turns around to you.

You see that he doesn't.

This appears to be like a glamour he's wearing.

He's another wild.

Okay.

Thank you.

I'm going to try and stand up as tall as I can.

Hello.

Hello.

I am Ursulon, guardian of the Witch of the World's Heart and protector of Sky, the Wizard Sky of the Citadel.

Sky's is doing like a like a

neck cut.

You guard both.

I do, yes.

We are true friends.

And

what if some conflict should split the two?

Where then would your loyalty lie?

Um,

you see, between two friends there can be conflict, but

beneath that there is always camaraderie and trust.

You see that

the firefly spirit speaks and says, trust unbreakable.

Yes, in many ways.

The tree spirit turns to look at her flirtatiously and says, strong and deep as roots.

I would agree with that.

What are your names?

The wolf spirit turns to you and says, I am Heinrule.

The staff carrying a firefly spirit just looks at you and says, Badze.

And then the tree spirit goes, Sakuro.

And Badze and Heinruhl seem to be kind of in Grimoire's retinue.

Only Heinrule is in Grimoire's retinue.

Most of Grimoire's retinue appears to be animals, just straight-up animals.

And Heinrule is one of the only things that was like, he was with the pack of wolves.

And you kind of almost think the pack of wolves is with Heinrule and Heinruh's with Grimoire, and then all the other singular predators are with Grimoire as well.

So that, like the lion, and the panther, and the hawk and the eagle and all these other things are following Grimoor, and Heinrule is following as well, and he's some kind of wolf-king spirit that is like a paramour or lover of Grimoire's.

All right,

um, well, well met

all.

How strong are you?

Well,

some have said I'm the strongest man in Silbury.

I look over my shoulder at the wizard sky.

What if we wrestled?

I

take off my shield

and undo my sword belt.

Have at me.

Give me an athletics check.

Twenty-three from Heinrich.

Fuck 21.

Oh, no.

Heinruhl flies into a rage and pins you to the ground and puts his jaws over your neck and says,

And you see, you just feel hot breath on your throat, saliva dropping into your fur.

And he snarls, and you can tell is possessed by some wild thing that he wants to snap your neck and eat you here.

I yield.

I yield.

I yield.

He gets off.

Stands back up again.

Goes back into his human form.

What if we wrestled again, this time for stakes?

One, well done on that first round.

You are a man possessed of

some

power.

And what would the stakes be if we went again?

What if you win, would you ask?

Oh, if I won, what boon would I request?

Yes.

It's a good question.

You see, Badze smiles and says, ask him for a boon.

Just a boon.

A boon?

Yes.

If we were to wrestle again, I would ask for a boon.

And if I win, I kill you.

Oh

Sakoro says, Do the tombs strike you as unjust?

Um, n uh, no, but

then you agree.

Uh, I um I did I did not say that I agreed.

It's just

well, I

would not feel comfortable agreeing to said terms without first confirming with the leader of our retinue.

You see, Badze says, is that the only thing you want from him, Heinral?

His life's blood.

You see, Heinral stares at you for a second and says,

Too steep then.

Not a boon, but a favor.

And not your life.

You will come and drink with me in my chambers

until all of the liquor is gone.

That's what you want.

If I win, if you win.

That's right.

Those terms are more agreeable.

He leaves it you for convenience.

Check.

He got a 22.

God damn.

Well, I need

to beat that.

I need an 18.

That's a three

plus four

for seven.

Heinruhl puts you on your back, drops down,

claps your head under one of his arms, and turns back into that wolfen form.

And once again, has your head in his jaws, rolling on the ground with you,

and then stops and goes,

turns slowly back into the man.

Not as good a showing as your first time.

I believe I...

I think I burned some of my energy on the first.

I wish the first one had been...

It's...

could match you in.

You see, he looks at you and goes...

Smells...

Sweets...

soft

wine.

Soft cushions of the world of mortals.

Things will come that will ask strength of you.

I'll see you in my chambers, and we will drink until we are sick.

Yes, you've you've earned it.

He stalks off.

Um, when he barked, uh, I think the hand around uh Suvi's like normal-looking staff, it was beginning to turn back into the glass staff.

Yeah, and I'm like, come, come, come, shut up.

I'm gonna, I'll get up and bate turns, looks at you, and smiles and as she smiles you see that uh her mouth glows with that firefly bioluminescence and she says

he likes you

he's he's a very friendly

uh he's the

insistence

do I like riddles I I enjoy a puzzle

she

has to be you see Bonze licks her lips

and we're gonna come inside the conclave.

An icy chamber.

The deep shadows still dull blue

with the presence of the icy walls, but the brightness

the pillar of light descending from the northern star above on five black thrones on the pure white ice.

Marara sits in hers, the crow astride her shoulder.

To her left is Intree, witch of the wind and stars, in her regal, beautiful attire.

She holds the scepter of ice in her hand, and her entire throne is encircled by the resting form of Costa, the polar bear, large enough to give her a mantle of his own body completely encircling her throne.

To Marara's right sits Grimor in her throne, the hawk on the back of her chair.

She has pulled her antlers down to reveal the matted, dirt-caked, bloody locks that surround her,

adorned with bones and cord of hide and leather, her claws tapping on the black stone.

To her right, the black throne cannot be seen as the stone cracks and forms moss and vine and a mound of verdant green and warmth.

that begins to erupt in actual spring water that comes out of it, that cascades away from the moss and turns to ice as it pulls out of the moss and down the steps of the platform behind her.

Hakea sits, blanketed by moss and flowering violets, the serpent resting in the green around her, its head lying over her heart, its tongue flicking, its ancient eyes observing.

In between Hakea and Indri

sits Ame.

Bear and hawk, crow and serpent,

and then the little witch of the world's heart with her fox.

Ame, how are you sitting on your throne and what's the fox doing?

I have my feet tucked up under me.

I walked in holding the fox, but of course if he'd like to jump out, I know he gets restless sometimes.

He's afraid to do that.

I'm sitting in

an armchair.

It's

comfortable and it smells like old dust

and

lilac.

Seated in the chair,

Indri speaks.

Welcome, sisters all, to the palace here,

under the point of the northern star, at the very top of our world.

It is a particular honor and an auspicious one to host our conclave twice within the same century.

I have

our newest member to thank for this honor.

And here she smiles.

The other witches remain sort of neutral at this.

We have been called here,

as every time before,

to acknowledge and rejoice in person at the coming of a new sister.

Let us then let go within our hearts

all

grudges and debts,

all feelings of hurt, pride, or reproach, for the world's heart has lost

its former shepherd.

We say goodbye to Wren and remember her as she was in truth.

And you see, that sort of reverberates out through the chamber here.

And each witch takes a moment to themselves to remember Grandma Ren.

I think back to the cottage

and how

Grandma Wren was the first

person to really ever

see me and to care for me and

to tell me that the things that I was

were

right.

The way she taught me so patiently and gently with humor and kindness.

I remember Grandma Wren

as the person,

but then I think of her as the witch of the world's heart,

and in that station,

the great power that she wielded.

And for just a moment, I feel in that chair, it's not just a humble armchair,

it is

a seat of power,

the power to

not need

ostentation.

It was the power to

be who she was

and still garner the respect and even fear of these sisters of hers.

The witches take a moment and Indry turns to you and says,

As host of this conclave, I welcome into our sisterhood of the coven of elders

the witch of the world's heart.

And there is a feeling in the room suddenly of the presence of that station.

Each witch bows their head in deference to that station.

You

hear

in the distance almost

sound of feet and wheels on roads, the buzz of bees, the hum of turning, of hands on hands and hands on backs, the embrace of long-lost friends, the smells of home and hearth, of crackling fires, the smell of fresh-baked bread, the sound of a crowing rooster, the beginning of a day of work in the fields of a cottage.

to see a life made whole by the togetherness of those you love.

And then you are once again in the icy chamber here in the frozen north.

Indri turns to you and says, Welcome, Ahme.

It is an honor to be your sister.

We would ask you then,

What is the state of the world's heart?

And the four witches here turn to regard you.

The world's heart

as ever needs tending.

I remember once, long ago, Grandma

Ren

saying that

almost dismissively, ah yes, dire times.

They're always dire times.

There are

movements, celestial shifts

in past I am given to understand

that have affected the world and its heart and the way that humans and the spirits connect with one another.

Now

there is something

amiss

as well.

I believe that the the relations between the spirit world and the human world

are not as carefully tended as they can be.

And furthermore,

there are powers within both worlds that seek to harm the other.

Marara speaks and says,

Forces within

each world that seek to harm the other.

I'm certain that some of you may have what at one time or another encountered the stranger in black,

the king of night.

I look around.

The witches regard each other.

You see, Hakea says,

You have been asked, which

of the world's heart to make some statement

of that which is your responsibility.

I think

we all wish to hear of the state

of that which is yours to tend to.

And having said precious little,

you have already offered

some worries about

the Witch of the Waning Moon's realm,

which is none of your concern.

Sister Marara,

the stranger

in black

is in your realm?

Are you asking me a question?

I am merely broaching a topic which...

So!

You're refusing to make your report.

Huh?

You were asked by the Witch of the Wind and Stars to speak to the world's heart.

But you wish to broach the topic of the Waning Moons business.

Do you have some insight?

into the hunt itself

your introduction is some thoughts you have on our dominions.

I do not have a dominion.

I have a responsibility.

To the towns and cities, to the mortals, to the spirits.

And if

the things which enter into those responsibilities are matters of yours that I wish to collaborate with you.

Indri smiles and says,

Sister, which are the world's heart?

I believe you are attempting to do as we have asked, which is to make your report

on

your knowledge of the status of your responsibility, the nature of the world's heart as you understand it upon this, the first coming of a conclave to you in your new station.

And it sounds as if you are saying that

your

station is being touched upon by something, and though it may abut another witch's domain, that fundamentally they are connected.

Do I understand?

That's correct.

Very well.

Tell us then how the world's heart has been so changed by these forces.

Marara, my sister of the waning moon.

There is a darkness that spreads over the lands of mortals.

Once upon a time, there was ways for them to

explore and build and connect all through Umora.

Now that is no longer the case.

They have lost

many opportunities.

They have lost many places.

Due to this lack of light that guides all of them.

Hakea,

sister of the Woodland Green,

a

great spirit that I had the honor of encountering.

Arima of the Reaching Green,

was

frustrated, forgotten by humans

who did not know the proper ways to pay her obeisance.

Grimoire, you know that this warring world

tears and eats away at its heart

and injury.

What is solitude and self,

if not the opposite of what I do?

Grimoire snorts into her sinuses and spits blood on the center of the dais and says, Do I understand

that some supplication is being made to us in this moment?

Correct me if I'm wrong.

Is our newest sister spitting in our eye?

Are you telling us that there is something we

have misdone in the moment of your arrival?

Loud, loud, loud, loud.

Chirping bird, chirp no more.

You have been asked of your responsibilities, your,

your,

your responsibilities,

and have introduced in the moment of your own introduction the topic which you deem most important without first conferring with any of your elders as to what our realms might be troubled by.

As is often the case with the world's heart,

togetherness so

seldom means each dominion's concerns are valued equally, but it seems that often in the cause of togetherness, the cause of togetherness will have its demands heard first, my sister.

Do you wish to continue to tell us what we have missed?

I mean no disrespect

when I tell you

the things which

encroach upon the world's heart.

I say

these

things which trouble me not because

they are an accusation of guilt,

but because they are ways in which I know that your realms could benefit by my service and by the service of those who I represent.

Mirara leans towards injury and says,

I believe our sister, Witch of the World's Heart,

has concluded her

report on the status of the world's heart and is attempting to introduce to us a topic of conversation

and debate.

Is it true, sister, that you wish to move from statements of information to statements of persuasion?

You

are already speaking of what needs doing, so I assume the report is concluded and that your

advices are now the topic you wish to put forward.

Not advices, no.

In

the realm of the heart,

one cannot

solve things

simply by telling others what to do

or advising them.

I ask,

I invite.

What is it that you wish to know about the heart of the world?

The witches turn to look at each other, and you see

Hakea turns and says

those

things of your dominion

which would be most removed from our focus and attention.

We to know how goes your stewardship of your responsibilities.

Can I do a history check?

Yeah, can be a history check with disadvantage.

You're sleepy in here.

11.

Cool.

What's the question you're asking?

I try to remember back

in my 15 years of training with Grandmother Wren.

What

is it that is most our responsibility?

What were her concerns those nights that she went away to fight battles that I did not know about or to

investigate things of which I wasn't fully aware under the curse?

Did I find those out?

Largely, her responsibilities were the world of people, the world of thinking beings, of feeling beings, beings of the heart.

The world of mortals and of spirits and of those who

made common cause and community together were her concerns.

So you see in this moment that essentially you are being asked by the coven here

to kind of give a report about the things that they don't dwell on.

Also, you can give me an insight check if you want.

You're rolling with disadvantage, but you can't give one to me.

I got a natural 20 and a 1.

Oh my God.

Well, that's a nat one.

You have no idea what's going on with your sisters in this moment.

You are so sleepy.

They're so mean.

You don't know what's happening.

What has appeared to draw their ire is essentially that

they were in the like, okay, recite the minutes, give the report, we're doing the thing.

And you used

request to you to opine.

And I think that that is the thing that has clearly like crossed a line here in your drowsiness.

Was basically like, they were like, and tell us about your job.

I don't know, man.

I just, it's, it sucks.

It sucks, and you've made it suck.

Yeah.

It's sort of like, how's my job going?

Well, I can't fucking do my job.

You know, like, that's sort of the vibe, right?

So you see that the wishes turn to look at you.

There is a curiosity

and a hunger

in the world's heart

that has caused unrest because the heart does not

know how

to interact

with the other parts

that turn the world.

And I am doing my best just as myself

with my

humble retinue and the tools at my disposal

as a young witch

to heal it

Do I understand by your words

Ame

that this injury to the world's heart comes from it not fitting into place

with

the other domains.

Yes.

It is as I have said.

Thank you for the report, Ami.

You had introduced a topic of discussion.

Would you like me to add that to our register that we may discuss it in time?

Yes.

That's yes.

Very well.

Having made her report, we will turn now to our first order of discussion

Witch of the Waning Moon?

As we have heard in our report, great injury to the world's heart is done by its presence in the space of our domains.

The passing of her predecessor has left the Witch Arme precious little time to tend to the injuries of the the world.

Great action is called for.

Amy,

may I ask a question of you

in the broaching of this topic of my discussion?

Yes, yes, you may.

And

actually,

any of you may broach a question to me.

I might not always have an answer for you, but

you may, yes.

Indri smiles at a corner of her mouth and says,

You are asking that we not ask permission to ask you questions in the future.

I am saying you need not.

Very well.

Of

Grandmother Wren's

judgments during the time of her living and of her tutelage, tutelage,

how

well

do you feel she acquitted her position as witch of the world's heart?

Did you find her judgment true,

or did she fall short of her station?

Grandmother Wren was the wisest creature of mortal or spirit that I have ever met.

And I think that all of you recognized that in your wisdom.

I didn't.

Well,

I think of what I knew of Grandmother Wren.

She would have not put herself above those sisters of her coven in terms of wisdom, my dear witch of the world's art.

But

if she was the truest witch you knew, then it is exactly as I feared.

Ren's predecessor

is in her truest mould.

The world's heart falls to one

who follows in Wren's footsteps.

She is untested and unready.

Of her retinue,

the citadel now strides the halls of this place,

and she has come here to tell us that the world's heart can only suffer in our presence.

I put forward a motion

that the witch Ame be killed, and that the world's heart be left beyond the confines of this coven.

I ask that this

be considered at once.

Are there any that oppose a swift and immediate decision?

You see, Grimoire

shakes her head no, side to side, and you see Hakea turns to look at you, Ahme, and goes,

I oppose a swift decision.

Do I disappoint you, sister of the waning moon?

I am not so easily disappointed, sister.

How could anybody tell with that mask on your face?

I'm tired.

We should discuss the killing of the young witch

on the morrow,

sister of the World's Heart,

tomorrow we will begin discussions as to your death and the destruction of your seat upon this council.

Is there

any clarity that may be provided such that your remarks might be

And she yawns and some mods fly out of her mouth

such that your remarks might be better prepared tomorrow than they were today.

Sister Indri,

as

both our host

and an observer of the celestial bodies,

I would ask to confer with you,

perhaps to have some better insight into

some of the past

records

of the conclave,

the better to prepare.

Of course, I will provide all the wisdom I can, my sister.

You see, she leans over and squeezes your arm and says,

We would only kill you if we genuinely believed it was the right thing to do.

That's a 20 and a 2.

For your insight check.

You see that she smiles

and says,

and turns to Marara and says,

Perhaps hasty to jump into conclave on the arrival of our sisters.

Hmm?

And you see Marara is expressionless and silent in response to this.

As Akeya already starts to stand up and goes,

I will

retire.

Grimoire stands up and says, Okay.

Do you need help?

No, no, little magic.

And falls forward into the moss and vanishes as a bed of moss just rests there and the throne remains verdant.

As she disappears, I uh suddenly get a second wind.

I look at my sisters around me.

Insight check for a 16.

Okay.

Marara is expressionless and cannot be read.

Injury is smiling.

Injury does the first somewhat.

She she has been so poised, but this huge bed of moss in this ice chamber, she has to do the first kind of funny thing you've seen, which is walk around moss to get out of the room.

She's like, I'm not going to walk on that.

And you see, Grimoire is the only one you can read.

Grimoire is looking at you, seeing that you come out of the effect of Hakeea's pollen.

The second you look at Grimoire, Marara is already gone.

But Grimoire is still there with the hawk on the antlers of her headpiece.

And she, you beat her deception check.

What are you trying to glean from her?

Where is this coming from?

Why would she so readily agree to the destruction?

Are you asking this verbally?

You know what?

I ask.

Just met me moments ago, and yet you would so readily agree to my death and the elimination of this station, which Grandmother Wren has

tended to for so many.

Grandma Ren is gone.

You either run

or fall behind and get eaten.

Why do you think I want you gone?

Because I think

I think you're slow,

and we don't live in easy times.

And having beaten her deception, you see in her eye fear.

And she leaves the room.

Completely isolated in this chamber, as Grimoire stalks out.

You are left alone in the Circle of Thrones with you and the Fox.

Fox?

Fox looks up and says, I didn't see a great spot for me to jump in at that.

I'm sure you're mad at me right now, but I didn't see any angle in that whole talk.

It's just so funny because it's just impossible to get you to shut your mouth sometimes.

And yet,

when our existence is threatened, like nothing?

Nothing.

Well, here's talk can't work right now.

Talk is talk is fun.

It's not anywhere near as good as run.

Run is what we should do.

We just

run.

It worked in Portella and it worked in the citadel.

It's gonna work again.

It works every time.

Okay, well, actually, literally, the magical rules for that scary lady that just walked out: if you run in her presence, she has the right to eat you.

Okay, I'm not ever worried.

Almost everything has

catch you.

She will.

Who the hell are you talking to?

Nobody can catch me.

Who are you talking to?

Who's caught me so far?

I'm talking to a little guy in presence of a whole wolf pack.

The only oh, wolf pack.

How many foxes do you think these wolves eat?

Not a lot?

I bet dozens.

I've only been caught one time.

Who's about you?

We're gonna be all right.

Don't tell Suvi and Ursulan.

They'll blab.

We jump out the window.

We go into the mountains.

Okay, we go into the mountains and we hide until this whole thing blows over.

You can take those things off, right?

That thing on your head and these clothes and stuff.

You can take them off?

Um, no.

Well, I mean, yes, but what?

Yes.

Let's stuff them full of meat

and we'll leave it in the chair.

Uh-huh.

And then we'll jump out the window and then we'll run away.

Okay, well, first of all, I tried that as a preteen and eventually you get found found out.

Second of all,

sometimes

being caught doesn't necessarily mean somebody running after you and catching you by the tail.

It means that you want to stay for something.

And you can't.

You can't leave.

You can't leave because if you leave,

there are things that are worse than being caught and eaten.

Why won't you just run away and leave me then?

Hmm?

You could go?

You just step out the window.

I won't tell Arsenal in the Suvi.

I don't want to.

Why?

Because I don't know how to get back without you.

He smiles here.

You want to know why?

Because I think we have a little bit of time left for me to convince you to run away.

Okay.

I bet you a whole bowl of fish slurry.

Then it's not going to work this time.

You're on.

I hold out and shake his little paw.

He puts his little black paw in your hand and little floofy paw.

Alright.

Okay.

Let's go.

Is there a way that I can help you other than not talking during that?

Oh, um.

What do you need me to do if we're trying to keep you from dying?

You said you were gonna talk to the tall crowned lady.

Oh, yes, uh,

you know, we have to go meet with injury.

Um,

maybe if you wanna

scamper off and

find out some more about the other witches, but be careful, okay?

You got it.

I'll skip her off.

Moments before the conclave exits back out of the great hall, Badze is looking at Ursulan and says,

What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, an open mouth that never eats.

Oh,

is it a

I

believe I know this one.

Is it a is it a a river?

Her bioluminescent eyes go wide and he applauds.

Well, I had to get one.

Subi's is like, yeah!

You see that the doors open and Gromore stalks out, and the various retinues leave this place.

As they do so, it is just

the four wizards and Ursulan who remain as the fox scampers down a hallway quite quickly.

Ahme,

you finish your conversation with the fox and emerge from the council chambers.

Okay, let's go somewhere that we can talk.

Great.

I do have to say, I've made a

arrangement for this evening.

Ah, I'm sorry.

I'm not sure.

I hope everything went well, but somebody has...

I lost a wrestling match and

am obligated to drink until I'm sick with a member of Grimoire's retinue.

Yeah.

Have fun?

I mean, I believe I have some time, but I think after dinner I will be.

Is this like a date?

I don't know.

This is how I want to date.

I'm not.

Okay, that.

I mean, I.

How did the conclave go?

Oh, they want to destroy me and my station.

Great.

You want to go somewhere and talk?

Yes.

I do.

I'll join him after dinner.

Okay.

We adjourn to the keep of the world's heart, where a small fire is stoked.

You have some food in front of you.

Is the fox here with you, or is he out scampering?

I think he's scampering, unless he has come back yet.

Give me a little investigation check for him.

Five.

Every once in a while, the fox checks in and is like,

I'm on to something.

There's a hallway.

It's covered in ice.

Okay.

Does this anything?

Oh, well, what's in the hallway?

Doors, torches, windows.

Nothing.

That's nothing.

Okay, I'll keep going.

Thank you.

Uh, so he's still off scampering.

Um,

I've told

we're sitting in one of

the assortment of chairs around the fire, and I've told you everything.

Everything, like beat for beat, what happened in the meeting.

Okay, so the two sitting across from you,

uh, Marara and Grimoire, are the ones leading the charge, and the ones that defended you or remained the most neutral, Hakeea and Indry, are on your side.

And it sounds like their

alliances fall on those lines.

The ones in proximity to them, they seem to be in collaboration with, and the ones across from them seem to be strained.

And I know that's not off of a lot of data, but we don't have a lot to go off of.

When I think back to the

when there were seven,

and then when there were 13, yeah,

do I know other

configurations or alliances or has Grandmother Wren said?

Ooh, give me a history check.

We'll call it DC 20, but you're a witch, so you can roll with advantage.

Let's go.

Thank you, Brennan.

You got it.

Fuck!

12.

Okay.

On a 12, you remember which of the washing fire, which of the wide sea.

Obviously, you would have been curious as a little kid about the Coven of Elders, but I think it depends.

What would the questions Ahme have dwelt on about the Coven of Elders been

with Grandmother Wren at that time?

Oh, what do they look like?

And are you friends with any of them?

Yeah, so from childhood, like, she basically would have told you that Uruna was an incredibly beautiful, profound,

you know, wonderful, wise witch,

and would have said that Uruna was closest with Hakea out of anybody.

That Hakeia, Uruna, and Grimor

were all sort of like of a like kind to each other, and would have said that Skalvi, the witch of the watching fire, was actually closest to Grandmother Wren and Indri.

That they were, and that like she was part of a little, it was almost like there were two triads that Mariah, that Marara was like left out of.

And it sounded like Ren

had a personal fondness for Uruna but her her station was more involved with the station of the watching fire

have you told us about uh seven coming down to five

when

you make the observation about the five and the alliances

I do mention yes it was once seven.

One

died without a successor,

and the other

so one died without a successor just from age, and like everyone knew that Uruna had essentially like

waited for too long, and it was sort of a sorrowful, bad, sad thing.

Um, and then for Skalvi, Skalvi had an apprentice who betrayed her.

It's unclear what the nature of her fall was, but it sounds like in the betrayal of the apprentice, Skalvi died shortly thereafter, maybe related or maybe unrelated.

But then in the betrayal of the apprentice, the apprentice removed themselves from the succession.

And you remember Wren talking to you about not needing to accept the position of the world's heart, right?

She's like, I would love you just the same, even if you turn this responsibility aside.

And it sounds like the apprentice that betrayed Skalvi in the betrayal refused the station of the watching fire.

So left Scalvy unprepared, essentially.

And maybe even like some hint of like, well, did the.

It's weird to say that someone that killed Skalvy betrayed them.

Like the headline would be, murdered them, which was a betrayal.

But you almost wonder if the betrayal had to do with the imminent death of Skalvi and the apprentice abandoning the station when Skalvi was advanced enough in age that she didn't have time to find and train a new apprentice.

Maybe that was the betrayal.

I relay all of this, and then I say that, and originally it was 13.

Y'all argue too much.

That's, no, that's what it is.

That's how we get.

I kept trying to figure out why would you have to advocate for the loss of another one?

They're not in unison.

They always need...

If it was just four, if you were gone and dispelled, there would be four, and that's an even split.

And who's the tiebreaker?

Exactly.

So it has to be three because they always require a majority to move towards unanimity.

So it's not even someone specific.

It's just the very nature of it being impossible for it to be four?

Something like that, but also it seems like it.

Okay, okay, you said watching fire and something.

Ocean.

Water and fire.

It seems like you can make a case for someone that is the opposite of you having to go with you.

Balance.

Witches talk about balance all the time.

That feels like a thing.

My direct opposites could be, conceivably, Marara, because

nothing.

She's nothing.

Or Grimoire,

because

she's conflict.

And what am I but resolution?

I think you will have a harder time making a case for Marara.

She's the one that leveled charges against you.

But I think you have a very strong case that where cooperation goes, conflict goes too.

Didn't you also say that injury is self?

Is there something there?

Something to togetherness

and vis-à-vis and then on the other side,

Solitude.

Great, there really could be a case made for almost any of them.

Give me an insight check as you say that.

Ame.

23.

As you say, you can almost make a case for any of them.

You remember suddenly the words of Sly

saying, like, that his words were something along the lines of

they can't get rid of you without getting rid of another.

And you suddenly sort of realize, like, oh,

it doesn't fall to you to make a specific case for a specific witch.

It falls because the point isn't for you to argue, it's for them to argue.

If you can make the point that someone else has got to go, right?

Like, as Suvi just said, it's about tie-breaking.

So, it's not incumbent on you to argue for which wish you think should follow behind you.

What's incumbent on you is to say, a four-person council doesn't work.

So, kill me, and you guys decide amongst yourself.

You know, like it's that idea, right?

It's like, yeah.

Well, that's definitely something.

Did you say anything in your defense?

And they were like, let's vote to kill you, or were you just very chill?

Well, Hekeya kind of said,

I disagree, and then disappeared, and that was the end of that moment.

Okay.

But I do have further questions that I would like to have answered before I make a case, including

an audience with injury

to find out about some of the past dealings of the coven.

Fox,

anything?

Give me another investigation, chair.

13.

Uh, okay.

Uh, I don't know if this is anything.

There's a window looking out at a courtyard, and there's two tall ladies talking next to a fountain, but the fountain doesn't have water.

It's got like snow coming out of it.

I don't think, and can you hear what they're saying?

I'd have to get a little bit closer, but they're not close to the ground.

They're both super tall.

Tall to you and me, or tall to like Sue.

Oh, definitely tall to me, but also tall to you.

And even a little tall to Sue.

Hang on a second.

And I pop into his eyes really quickly.

You pop into his eyes and see that the Witch of the Wind and Stars has Marara pushed up against an archway and is putting a finger in his face.

He goes, I don't know.

They're talking about something.

Stop!

Just get down there.

I need you to hear it.

What?

Yo, I need you to get down there and hear it.

Hear it.

Okay, you're the boss, boss.

Wait, actually, no, wait.

Wait, wait, wait.

As I squint through the fox's eyes, I can read lips.

You have the observant feet.

I can't believe it's become best feet.

Relevant.

Their best feet.

There it is.

Okay, so

right now, because

she has Marara pushed up against the arch, you see Injury is like pointing a finger sort of like under Marara's chin.

Marara has no lips for you to read.

So you see the fox quickly has to run around a hallway to get to a vantage point to see Inri's lips.

And as you go over, you can see Injury's lips pointed and you see that you haven't...

Injury has been so sweet to you the entire time.

And

Marara in this moment

they're looking at each other and

It is a testament to how terrifying Marara is that she is not withered by the cold expression on Injury's face.

You haven't seen Injury angry yet, but seeing it through your fox's eyes not even directed at you, you don't know how you could withstand it if she turned her cold gaze on you.

And you see the last thing she's saying going,

give you any pause at all?

Obviously, she had some idea.

It caught her not at all by surprise.

You don't think a squawk, a chirp, a squeak would have escaped her lips?

Something you can't hear coming from Marara, whose face is expressionless.

The mask betrays nothing.

And then then there's a, you know, she speaks for a while, and then Indri responds and says,

who can say?

Perhaps Wren gave her some more warning, or she's come with these citadel wizards in tow.

You see that Marara speaks for a second, and Indri says,

Yes, my sister, of course.

A hundred years ago, their tricks were paltry, and 50 years ago, their tricks were paltry, and 20 years ago, their tricks were paltry.

But I don't know if you've noticed.

Every so often I look behind me and see these paltry tricks getting a little bit closer than they were before.

I think your entire point, sister, is that time is running out.

Whether from the citadel or the cottage, some knowledge she gleaned.

That much is clear.

And you're...

And you see, she balls her beautiful ice blue fingernails fingernails into a fist and says, and your impatience, sister, and your disdain for

the requirements of our sister Hakeia saw this opportunity lost.

Think more in the future, not solely of your own domain, but of all of ours.

And she turns and walks away.

The fox in your head goes, she's walking away.

Do you want me on spike head or do you want me on...

Well, they both have spikes on their heads, kind of in different ways.

There's black with white and there's blue with silver.

Um, um, um, go after uh uh uh

I also do smell food nearby.

No, no, not the food though.

I will give you so much

fish stew when you get back if you go after

the one in silver and blue.

You got a bus.

All right.

Thank you.

I

snap back to the tower.

Oh, I was really proud of like River.

That was a good.

Thank you.

Also, I haven't said anything.

I like the new color.

Oh my god, thank you.

It's as Veracy, huh?

It's Kasvarace.

It's what I'm seeing.

I know.

I look around

and I make gesture.

I gesture at my ears and then it circles around my head.

and I'm gonna try and see if I can

do anything to see if there's

any listening or any way to ward against

being heard.

I'll pop a detect magic right now to help.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, do that.

Passive investigation 21.

You pop a detect magic

divination magic, something for listening in.

Yeah,

there is something in the room with you that is listening in on Aame.

Your passive investigation knows that you are being listened to.

Something in this room.

If you, but it's a DC-25 to pinpoint it exactly, and I'll let you roll for it.

Yeah.

Can I help with another detect magic?

Yes, you can.

Great.

Guidance.

I tap my ears, I gesture around, and I poke SUV.

Wizardry, witchcraft, and the world of spirits come together to find safety in this moment of dire consequence.

It's a DC25.

What'd you get on your D4?

One plus one.

And what do you add?

I add six.

And right now I'm adding seven.

So

you need an 18 or higher on the die to get the roll.

Here we go.

17 on the die.

17 plus 7 is 24.

One shy of the difficulty.

But there is, you know, there's something in this room listening to you in this moment.

Yeah.

Then I'm immediately going to reach down to my spellbook and just sort of like opening it without like pulling it all the way off and like tearing a sheet.

And I will write onto the sheet.

There's something listening on you.

Divination magic, but I can't find it to dispel it.

Do you know who would have done so?

And then pass the paper and continue and, like, not trying to like fully change the subject,

but try to pick up some like light patter with Ursulon.

With that 24 investigation, I will allow you to glean a little bit more here, too, which is just that there is what you are aware of is

the words in this room are being heard.

You can, with your spell, you hear echoes of the lingua arcana.

Like, as you speak in Imperial, you hear, it's almost like what would be the clack of a stenographer's key, but just momentary vibrations in the sound waves themselves that you pick up as them registering on a piece of magic that's listening.

Almost like if a bat's ear could hear a sound landing on an eardrum somewhere, and you know how to recognize that sound.

Can I write on the piece of paper, if it was gone...

Suvi, if it was gone, could you tell?

Yes.

I'm gonna take Suvi's scarf off and throw it out a window.

The sound goes away.

Holy shit, Lou.

Stone Cold fucking got me.

Stone Cold got me.

Fuck.

That's all for this episode of The Wizard, the Witch, and the Wild One.

God damn it.

That was Lou Wilson as Ursulan, Erika Ishii as Ahme, Abria Iyengar as Suvi, and Brennan Lee Mulligan as everyone and everything else.

Worlds Beyond Number is edited, designed, and scored by Taylor Moore at Fortunate Horse with additional sound design from Michael Gelfie Studios.

For even more like this, join us on our Patreon.

We'll see you there.